2 Kings 5:23 (DRB)

Passage

And Naaman said: It is better that thou take two talents. And he forced him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, and two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants, and they carried them before him.

Nearby Context

2 Kings 5:21 And Giezi followed after Naaman: and when he saw him running after him, he leapt down from his chariot to meet him, and said: Is all well?

2 Kings 5:22 And he said: Well: my master hath sent me to thee, saying: Just now there are come to me from mount Ephraim, two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.

2 Kings 5:23 And Naaman said: It is better that thou take two talents. And he forced him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, and two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants, and they carried them before him.

2 Kings 5:24 And when he was come, and now it was the evening, he took them from their hands, and laid them up in the house, and sent the men away, and they departed.

2 Kings 5:25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Eliseus said: Whence comest thou, Giezi? He answered: Thy servant went no whither.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "naaman", "said", "better", "thou", "take", "talents", "forced", and "bound". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "naaman" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "And he said Well my master hath..." into verse 24's "And when he was come and now...", so "naaman" and "said" belong inside that flow. In 2 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "naaman" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.